Even Trainers Get Injured

I smirked as I wrote the title for this, because I know this to be true, but I guess non-trainers sometimes feel that it is impossible for trainers to get injured during workouts because we are "trained" professionals, so we should know what we are doing. Well yes, I am a trained professional and I do know what I'm doing. However, there are definitely times during my workouts that I push myself beyond my limits to challenge myself and to promote change, which is when I risk a potential injury. This topic depicted my life about a month ago when I suffered back to back injuries. My first injury was a severe shoulder strain that I originally ignored for about two weeks and continued to train on as if nothing had happened. Stubborn. Stupid. Now I have not trained my shoulders directly for about a month to allow the muscle to heal and as of right now have plans to take about one more week or two off before returning to training. Does this suck? YES. Am I struggling to stick to my no training policy. ABSOLUTELY. However, I know that if I continue to train on it I could strain it even more and make it even worse. I know you have to listen to your body, but as a fitness fanatic and an aspiring fitness competitor I struggle to not train. The upside to this time off is that when I do return to training my shoulders, they should respond really well to my training and progress even more.
My second injury was a pulled hamstring, which I do occasionally from lifting super heavy on my legs. That injury required me to take a week and a half off, and then gradually return to my normal leg workouts. My advice when it comes to dealing with workout injuries, is always listen to your body. If you get injured, allow your body time to heal and focus on other muscle groups. Know that when you do return to training your body will be shocked and respond even better to your training than it did prior to the injury. Take days off, never train the same muscle group back to back, you must allow 48-72 hours between training the same muscle group so your muscle tissue has time to rest and grow.

Nutrition versus Activity

People often make the promise to get started on exercising to lose weight, get healthier, reach fitness goals, and usually have a time frame attached to that promise (on Mon, next week, at the start of the new year, etc). We all know it takes a lot of dedication and consistency to reach our goals, to make changes, change our lives, improve our health. It is not rocket science, I promise. And although some people may disagree, my advice to people who are going from poor eating habits and no activity to wanting to see changes in their body's, from how they look to how they function, and everything in between, is to start by CLEANING UP YOUR EATING HABITS. Don't get me wrong, both components are necessary for change, and they do go hand in hand, BUT nutrition is huge. Just by making changes in your diet, you will get results! Stop drinking alcohol, stop drinking soda, eliminate processed foods, eat fresh, choose lean proteins (chicken, turkey, fish), stop eating fast food, cut out sugars, the list goes on and on. Once you make those changes and can do it regularly then get moving!!! Before you know it, you will have more energy, you will sleep better, your clothes will fit better, and your body will completely transform!